
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Cross Chop
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Rock Slide
move 4: Focus Punch
item: Choice Band
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Mankey's above-average Speed tier, excellent Attack, and its status as the only viable Fighting-type allow it to carve out a niche as a Choice Band user. STAB-boosted Cross Chop threatens common physically defensive walls such as Nosepass and Lileep while 2HKOing bulkier Pokemon that don't resist Fighting such as Cubone and Croconaw. Lileep finds itself as the physically defensive backbone on a plethora of different teams, and this allows Mankey to standout because of its adeptness at threatening it with Cross Chop. Earthquake provides Mankey with a more accurate option against Fire-types like Growlithe and Cyndaquil and Electric-types such as Chinchou, Magnemite, and Elekid. Mankey is able to outspeed the previous two and is able to avoid being OHKOed by Elekid's Thunderbolt while at full health. Rock Slide threatens Dustox and Flying-types like Pidgeotto, Tailow, and Delibird that may try to switch in on an Earthquake. Because of the sheer amount of switches Mankey forces, Focus Punch is a viable option, allowing it to heavily damage or OHKO would be switch-ins like Bayleef. Vital Spirit provides Mankey with an opportunity to switch into Butterfree on a Sleep Powder; however, Mankey Speed ties with maximum Speed Butterfree and gets OHKOed by Psychic if it loses the tie.
Mankey excels on balance and offense teams that need a dedicated offensive Lileep check. Normal-types such as Pidgeotto, Aipom, and offensive Castform, as well as Petaya Berry Butterfree, appreciate Mankey being able to remove Lileep for them. Special attackers such as Chinchou, Elekid, Growlithe, and Staryu can remove Koffing, which otherwise completely walls Mankey. Dustox makes a great partner, as it walls Koffing and can threaten it with Psychic. Because of its poor bulk, Mankey struggles with faster attackers such as Elekid, so Pokemon with access to Thunder Wave such as Aipom, Nosepass, and Magnemite pair well with it. Utility Aipom appreciates how much Mankey threatens Lileep, which it otherwise struggles to remove due to its lack of Choice Band. Additionally, Nosepass also makes for a great partner, as its excellent bulk makes it an excellent pivot for Mankey into faster attackers like Pidgeotto. Special walls such as Delcatty, Sunflora, and Grimer can shut down special attackers that Mankey can't outspeed such as Elekid, Staryu, and Butterfree.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bp.272450/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kinetic1000.552227/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tea-guzzler.577920/
Last edited: